Liam duckworth



iniiird stat-ea GEORGE DUOKWORTH, WILLIAM DUOKWORTH, J AMES DUCKWRTIL AND JOHN C. DUOKWORTH, `Oli PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

Lette-rs Patent No. 97 ,175, dated November 23, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT nv Looms.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

'tain new and useful Improvements in Power-leeuw;

and we'do hm'ebydeclare that tlic following is a full and correct description tliereo'relerence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of refy erence thereon.

Our invention relates to looms which have shifting shuttle-boxes that move up and down at the ends oi" the lay, to, shift theshuttles.

The first part of our invention consists in combining` with a picker or pickers used with shifting shuttleboxes that move up and down at the ends of the lay, a protecting-mechanism, which operates to stop the loom whenever', the pickel' fails to withdraw from the shifting shuttle-box after it has thrown the shuttle, so that' the shuttle-boxes cannot be moved when obstructed by the picker, and breakage of paris of the loom is thereby prevented.

)ur invention also consists of a n'ioans of' adjusting the lay-swords, substantially as hereinafter described.

But more particularly to describe our invention, we. will refer to the annexed drawings, which represent a. frame and portions of the mechanism of a loom embodying our invention.

Figure 1,' of the dra\ vings, represents a front elevation of the loom; t

Figure 2, a plan view, and

Figure 3, a sidc elevation of the saine.

Figure 4 is a detached cross-section, through the lay` and breast-beam, showing a portion ofthe pickerprotcctor. l

Figure 5, a detached rear view of one of the ends of the lay, showing a portion of the picker-protector.

Figures 6 and 7, vertical and cross-sections of the adjustable connection of the lay-swords.

Letter a represents the frame; b, the crank-shaft; c c', connecting-links; d, the lay.

The lay-swords d d2 are of cast-iron, the heads pro'- jecting upward above the la y, and have brackets d d, 4project-ing inward, to which the lay is secured by screws, or in any suitable manner.

Oli the outside of each of the lay-swords is cast a Aflange or seat, c, -towhich is fitted a corresponding flange or scat, c', upon the inner end of each of the cast-iron frames c'2 c, which rcceivcand hold the shuttlc-boxes, and are secured to the lay-swords, by suitable bolts and nuts, through the said flanges.

One of the screw-bolts used to fasten the end frames to the swords ma be ilaced'as shown at e" ii, 1' and another may be a shoulder-bolt, c, iig. 2, with a projecting pin to connect with the lay-connecting rods.

The cud frames are both attached, in the same mauner, io the lay-swords at the end ofthe lay.

'lhe shifting shuttle-boxes f are cast in one piece, and move up and down, when required to shift. the. shuttles, in slides fI f2.

In figs.l 1 and 2, the shifting lsluittle-boxes are only shown on one side of the loom, being omitted from the other side to show more clearly the construction of the endframes and the operation ofthe pickel'.

The pickers q y1, one for each end of the lay, are. driven, as usual, by picker-staves gl2 y, which receive motion in one direction, to throw the shuttle, from a cani, y, upon the crank-shaft b, through a lever, g5, and picker-straps g gi.

The spring h and straps h hfthrow back the pickerstaves, to withdraw the pickers from the shift-ing shuttlc-boxes after the shuttle is thrown, so as to permit the shuttle-boxes to more up or down, as required, which they could not do if the pickers were not withdrawn, because the pickers work in stationary horizontal guide-slots, through the end frames of the lay, which hold the shifting shuttle-boxes.

To prevent breakage, in case the pickel' fails to withdraw, which frequently happens, we have contrived and applied to the picker a protecting-mechanism, as folows, viz: i

Upon the back of each ofthe end frames of the lay, a spring-catch is placed, composed ofa vibrating bent lever, t, pivoted at li,alnd actuated in one direction,

by a. spring, i", and in the other by the picker, when itis withdrawnfrom the shuttle-box.

lhe lower arm of each of the spring-catch levers i is bent backward and downward, and notched, at Yi, to receive, respectively, the ends of two short armsj, one at each end of the lay, attached to a horizontal shaft, jl, supported in bearings at the back of the lay, and extending the whole length of the. lay.

' An arm, f, attached to the middle of the shaft j, operates a vibrating lever, j, which extends forward from the lay, in such position as to pass just under the breast-beam when the lay beats up, and either strike the vibrating leverj, pivoted to the under side of the breast-beam, or clear it, :is it happens in the working of the protector,

The vibrating lever j* extends outside of the loom, through a slot, j, in the frame, where the spring-handit' of the belt-shipper of a loom is usually placed, and il' this levcris struck by the level' j, carried by the lay, it will, ot' course, throw off the belt-shipper and stop the loom, as in like mechanism used for filling threadprotectors in looms.

A helical sprngJjf", upon the shaft 1", keeps down the point of the lever j, so as to clearrthe lever y", when the protector is not required to operate.

When the pickers are thrown back ont of the shifting shuttle-boxes, as they should be, they press against the spring-lever catches i, and prevent them from engin-ging with the short arms j, attached to the hori-` zontal shaft, but should eitherof the pickers fail to be withdrawn at the propel-'time from the shifting shuttlc-boxes, its protecting spring-catch will engage with the short arm next to it, and thereby hold up the point of' the lever j, so as to cause it 'to strike the leverj and throw off the belt-shipper, or, at all events, to stop the loom before the shuttle-boxes commence to move up or down. l i

The horizontal shaft und its arms and levers are brought into position to en gage with the spring-catches to stop the loom, at every back-heat of the lay, after the shuttle has been thrown and snieient time has elapsed for the withdrawal of the picker, by aharm,

j?, attached to the horizontal shaftj, coming in contact with a stop, j, projecting from the lower frame.

1t will be observed that the protecting-meelianism herein described is similar in construction and inode of operation to that used for tliread-protectors and shuttle-protectors in looms, the novelty of our invention consisting in combining a protecti11g-mechanism with a picker.

'lhe advantage gained by our picker-protection is not confined to saving breakage, but it enables looms having shifting' shuttle-boxes to be safely run at a higher rate of speed.

Figs. 6 and 7 show the adjustable connection of the lay-swords with their rock-shaft.

Each of thc lay-swords is connected with its rockshaft It by means of a casting, m., secured to the rockshaft k by a pinching-screw, kf;

The casting mis formed with lips m1 at each side, to receive the ends m2 of the lay-sword, the lay-sword being secured to the casting by a screw-bolt, n, a slot, n', in the casting, permitting of vertical adjustment of thelay-sword. So far this construction is well known.

In order toconveniently adjust the lay-swords, and to keep them up in case the screw-bolt should slip in troduction of the adjusting-screw p, held by a flange,

a flange, p2, upon the casting k.

By the use of this adjustment, one man can readily adjllst the lay, and breakage or injury is saved if the screw-bolts, which secure the lay-swords to their connectiug-seats,/sh0uld slip.

Te claim- 1, In combination with the pickers of a. loom having shifting shuttle-boxes, a protecting-mechanism, substantially as described, whereby the loom is stopped when a. picker fails to withdraw from a shifting shuttie-box at the proper time to permit it to be shifted.

2. In combination with the lay-swords, the adjustable connections and adjusting-screws, substantially as described. Y

GEORGE DUCKVVORTH. WILLIAM DUCKWORTH.

J AMES DUCKWORTH.

J. G. DUOKWORTH.

Witnesses:

E. M. WOOD, C. DU'cKwoR'rH thc slot, we have improved this connection by the in- 1)*,nt the lowerend of the lay-sword, and acting'against l 

